Raksha is a minor character from Disney's 1967 feature film The Jungle Book. She is a member of the Seeonee wolf pack who served as Mowgli's former adoptive mother.
Background
Raksha is introduced as a wolf acquaintance of Bagheera. Unlike her mate, Raksha does not speak, and her name is not mentioned during the film. Due to her short appearance, little of her personality is known, but she can be assumed to be caring and motherly, due to her adoption of Mowgli.
The 2016 adaptation of The Jungle Book elaborates on Raksha's personality and reveals her to be a deeply caring and protective mother, raising Mowgli as her son alongside her own pups, such as Grey Brother, and making little to no distinction that he is adopted.
Appearances
The Jungle Book
Raksha appears at the start of the film and is seen at her den with her new pups. Though narration, Bagheera, states he knew the family, and hoped that the pack would accept the newborn mancub he had discovered. Bagheera initially leaves the baby near the den, but the wolves do not notice as they have already entered the den. Bagheera intentionally startles the baby, making him cry. Raksha comes to investigate, and immediately accepts the baby. However, when her mate, Rama, comes in, it takes some unspoken persuasion from Raksha for him to accept the mancub as well. Enamored with the baby, Rama accepts the baby, and Raksha carries the basket containing the man-cub into the den.
Raksha raised Mowgli for ten years. She is seen in a cameo, where Bagheera is describing Mowgli's popularity with the pack. However, she makes no appearances afterwards.
The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story
Raksha also appears in the 1998 direct-to video film, The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story, voiced by Peri Gilpin. In this version, she is killed by Shere Khan.
As Mowgli arrives at a cave inhabited by a wolf pack, Raksha's daughter Li'l Raksha tells her mother upon gazing at Mowgli, confusing him for a chimp to which Akela tells his wife that what they see is a man-cub just as Akela tells his daughter Li'l Raksha that Mowgli could be a threat to the wolves when he grows up to which Raksha tells him that Mowgli is a gentle man-cub much to Akela's concern. As Raksha tells her husband Akela about keeping Mowgli in the wolf pack, he agrees with his wife as Mowgli is accepted to be with the wolves. This is, however, interrupted when the hyena Tabaqui spies on the wolf pack just as the wolves confront Tabaqui inside the den for being an unwelcome guest, warding him out.
The next day, Raksha confronts two baboons making fun of Biranyi, a wolf with a stick stuck on his paw to which Mowgli manages to remove it as the bad baboons leave. Later Mowgli grabs a fruit to for Hathi, Raksha arrives and interrupts the conversation, explain that Mowgli should know not to eat without asking Raksha first, warning him that the fruit is poisonous. Raksha is later present during Akela's meeting where Mowgli accepts to join the wolf pack and stand up against the tiger Shere Khan.
The next day, Raksha is present during a hunting lesson in a plan to hunt deer to help Mowgli stand up against Shere Khan to which Raksha's husband Akela tells Mowgli that he and Raksha will hide behind the left side of the ridge while Li'l Raksha, Mowgli, and two other hunters will come up from the right side with assistance from some brother wolves straight up a hill to cut off their escape just as Akela gives out the signal. After Mowgli failed to catch at least one deer, Raksha feels worried of Mowgli leaving the pack after Mowgli felt frustrated of being unable to catch a deer. Later when Mowgli is captured by a group of chimps into Monkey Town, Chil alerts Raksha and warns her that she saw him following a group of chimps into a place known as "Monkey Town" who lured him into a trap, which Raksha tells Chil to alert the other wolves about Mowgli just as Raksha is on her way to rescue him.
Later, Raksha confronts Shere Khan to know what he is doing, telling him that Mowgli is her son, telling him to go through her if he is seeking Mowgli, which Shere Khan warns Raksha that the two will meet again another time. Just before Raksha leaves, Shere Khan ferociously pounces on Raksha, killing Mowgli's wolf mother on her way to find Mowgli.
The next day, Hathi takes Mowgli to his home where Akela and Li'l Raksha mourn over Raksha's death where Akela recaps that Raksha sacrificed her life in trying to protect Mowgli from Shere Khan. Akela then gives out a speech that even though Raksha is gone forever, her spirit will live on across the jungle and all of Mowgli's wolf family just as Raksha's death is mourned by Mowgli, his friends, and his wolf family. Mowgli, who learns about this, then risks himself to leave the jungle after he claims that it was his fault. After Mowgli returns to the jungle thanks to Li'l Raksha helping him, the latter helps Mowgli fight off against Shere Khan where she furiously confronts him for killing her mother and planning to avenge her, along with Baloo, Bagheera, Hathi, and the Seeonee pack in combat which Shere Khan runs away from the fire during battle, banishing him.
Gallery
Trivia
- Raksha means "protection" in Hindi.
- Raksha plays a larger role in Rudyard Kipling's original stories, and the 2016 live-action film.
- Similiar to King Louie, Raksha doesn't appear in the 2003 sequel alongside the wolves, and her occupation as Mowgli's adoptive mother is taken over by Messua.
- In the books, Raksha was very motherly and caring yet she was fierce (her ferocity even earned her the nickname "Raksha the Demon") and opinionated. When she first encountered Mowgli as a baby, she was curious and fascinated and immediately became very fond of him, even going as far as standing up to Shere Khan and threatening to tear him apart (as well as calling him a lame, cowardly frog-eater) when he demanded the man-cub.
- So far, the 2016 version is the most accurate depiction of the character, however, while her motherly, caring and noble personality are present, her ferocity is toned down. She also appears to be afraid of Shere Khan, unlike her book counterpart. Her cartoon version can also be considered somewhat accurate in terms of her motherly nature, as well as the fact that she quickly became fond of Mowgli.
- Shere Khan attacks and kills Raksha in The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story but it was never shown onscreen while in the 2016 version, Shere Khan attacks and kills Akela onscreen and throws him off the cliff.
- Despite being an Indian wolf, Raksha (along with the rest of the wolves) is more reminiscent of a North American timber wolf in all the Disney versions. This was possibly done to make her more recognizable to western audiences. Indian wolves are usually shorter and slimmer than timber wolves, with shorter reddish brown fur and long, pointier ears.
- In the books, Raksha's decision to adopt Mowgli was very controversial and debated among the wolves. Many wolves believed Raksha had disgraced the pack and brought potential danger to them while others believed that there was no other choice because Mowgli desperately needed a mother's care and that his death might bring man's wrath upon them. Because Raksha was Akela's niece, he was neutral in the debate. The debate was finally settled when Bagheera bought Mowgli's life with a recently hunted bull and gave the boy to Raksha.
- This debate was not in any of the Disney versions and the pack was quick to accept Mowgli. However, in the original animated film it is shown that Rama was somewhat uncertain about Raksha's decision at first. But ultimately agreed that the man-cub had to be cared for.
See also
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